Combination selector



Aug. 13,' 1935. w. PARKERSON COMBINATION SELECTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug; 28, 1934 Aug.- 13, 1935. w. PARKERSON 2,011,500

COMBINATION SELECTOR Filed Aug. 28, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 13, 1935 PATENT 1 .o FicE COMBINATION SELECTOR William Parkerson, New Orleans, La., as signor of one-half to E. Chandler Kicker, Dallas, Tex.

Application August 28, 1934, serial No. 741,864 10 Claims (01., 40- 70) f This invention relates to combination selectors and more particularly to combination selectors embodying a construction and arrangement of parts capable of producing a maximum number of different combinations from a given number of items available'for combining. Selectors constructed and arranged in accordance with my invention are adapted for the setting up of various different kinds of combinations, for example, varying combinations of foods for changing menus from day to day, or varying combinations of letters, Words, figures, symbols, pictures, or the like, for the instruction of students in sight work, mental arithmetic, memory work or the like.

It is well known that the provision of a varied diet presents a rather vexatious problem to housewives and restaurant operators and that patrons of restaurants often find it difficult to decide upon What foods they desire to select from the frequently lengthy list on the conventional menu card. A selector in accordance with my invention is particularly well suited for assisting such persons in the selection of varying food combinations and accordingly my invention will be described as embodied in a menu selector, although it is obvious that selectors embodying the invention may be employed for other combination selection purposes.

An object of my invention is to provide a combination selector so constructed and arranged as to be capable of setting up all possible combinations available from a plurality of groups of items, taking one item at a time from each group, i. e., each combination comprising a plurality of items each of which is a selected one from its own particular group, all of the combinations possible being exhausted before recurrence of any combination.

Generally stated my invention consists in the provision ofa selector device including a plural ity of rotatableelem'ents each bearing indicia arranged to register with or be displayed through openings in a cover, and common driving means for the rotatable elements having independent driving connection with each, the arrangement being such that step-by-step-operation of the driving means will cause step-by-step changes in the combinations displayed through the openings, all'possible combinationsv beingexhausted before the combination originally displayed'ree curs. In the preferred form, the rotatable elements referred to comprise toothed wheels, the numbers of theteeth in the wheels being prime to each other, that is the numbers of the teeth in the wheels have no exact common divisor.

The invention will be understood from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, the appended claims, and the 5 withthe top cover removed; and 15 Figure 6 is a section on the line 6+6 of Figure 4. T

The menu selector shown for the purpose of illustration in Figures 1, 2 and 3 includes a top cover plate A provided with a plurality of spaced 20v combination or food designating openings I, 2,

3, 4, 5 and 5 and an index or day'opening 1,;a bottom cover plate B mounted on a pintle 8 for rotationin a plane parallel to the plane of the top cover plate, and an assembly C of rotatable selec-f 25 I tor elements associated respectively with the openings I, 2, etc. A hole 9 may be provided in the front cover plate to permit hanging the device on a hook or the like.

The bottom cover plate bears the names of days 30 of the week in circumferentially spaced areas indicated at H), |l,1l2, it, M, iii, It and these names are adapted to register with the day opening 1 when the bottom cover plate is rotated relatively to the top plate A. r 35 Each of the openings l, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 bearsa caption corresponding to the class or kind of food items to "be displayedthrough the opening, for example, the opening I is' captioned Main dish indicating that the item of food constitut- 4O ing the meat orother main dish forming part of a menu combination willbe displayed through this opening. Similarly, theopeni'ng 2 is captioned Salad, the opening 3 Green vegetable, the opening 4-"Soup, the opening5 starchy A vegetable, and the opening 6 Dessert.

The selector assembly C comprises a plurality of toothed gear. wheels l 2 3 4 5 and '6 associated respectivelywith the openings l,- 2, 3-, 4, Sand 6 and mounted for rotation on pintles l ,'2 ,3 4 5 ,'and 6', respectively; Eachwheel bears spaced items of printed, lithographe d or embossed matter, each item being; the name of a specific food of a given; class. Thus, the wheel it bears the names"Beef-, Turkey, Pork and 5.

the names of any other desired meats or the like, these names being so located as to be displayed through the Main dish opening I when the wheel l is rotated. Similarly the wheel 2 bears the names of salads, including for example, Fruit, Lettuce and Tomato, these names being adapted to register with the Salad opening 2 when the wheel 2 is rotated. The wheels 3*, 4 5 and 6 correspondingly bear the names of specific foods coming under the food class designations captioning the openings 3, 4, 5 and 6.

It will be understood that the names of the foods appearing in the cover plate openings for any particular setting of the wheels designates what the complete dinner menu shall be. A feature of the present invention, resides in the provision of means for driving the' wheels in stepby-step increments so as to exhaustall possible.

' 19 teeth, theJwheel 2 has 16 teeth, the wheel 3? has 15 teeth, the wheel 4' has 11 teeth, the wheel 5 has 13 teeth, and the wheel 6* has 17 teeth.

The driving wheel has 7 teeth.

In operation, the top cover plate is held stationary and the bottom plate B is rotated. in a clockwise direction so as to advance the fDay reading say from Monday to Tuesday. This-willmove eachof the food designating wheels I, 2 etc., so as to provide a new menu combination. By reason of the novel construction and arrangement of parts, if the bottom plate. be moved to advance one space each day, then:

1. No dish will recur n the same day of the week more often than once in about eleven weeks.

2. No two dishes will recur together more often than once in about four months.

3. No three dishes will recur together more often than once in about six years.

4. The precisely identical-menu will not recur more often than once in thirty thousand years.

The selector provides exactly 11,085,360 difier-. ent available menu combinations.

Obviously, no one could use all the different combinations thus available, but nevertheless the great number of combinations possible consti tutes a desirable advantage, since the user may, if .desired, keep advancing the bottom plate B until'a combination is presented which appeals. to the particular individual user. 7 I

The selector device-shown in Figures 1, 2 and Smay be constructed of any kind of sheet material which preferably should be thin and light and may even be relatively flexible, such as card board; When using flexible material, it may be advisable'to provide a retaining flange or I8 secured to the driving wheel l1 and extending in front of the wheels 'l ,2 etc. the'wheels l 2 etc., permits them to overlap,- yet to lie relatively close to the cover plate A on which they are mounted, thus providingv a thin, compact assembly;

Referring now'to the modification illustrated inFigures )1, Sand 6, there is showna selector including-a top. cover plate D, a bottom cover The flexibility of plate E connected to the plate D by means of studs 20, and a selector wheel assembly F mountintersect a, straight/line lying in a plane parallel to the planes containing the wheels and so that the bottoms of. their pitch circles (as viewed in the drawings) alllie on a straight line normal to the cover plates, thus enabling the larger wheels,; which are on the bottom, to be partially exposed-in order to permit the food names on all the wheelsto be visible through the openings, The wheels are mounted in this arrangement by means of a bearing element 26 of zig-zag shape and comprising pintle-portionsfl 22 23 24 and 25 and connecting portions 26*.

A common. driving wheel or gear 2 1 has inde j pendent driving connection with each of the wheels 2H, 22?, etc., and is adapted to be rotated by means of a knurled knob 28. In this'form:

also, the selector wheels preferably have numbers of teeth which are prime to each other,

As previously stated, my improved combination- I selector is capable of various uses in addition to those set forth herein, by way of example, in explaining the principles of novel construction and arrangement of parts; and it will be understood that various changes may bemade in the specific,

construction and arrangement of the partswith-' out departing from the invention as defined inthe claims.

I claim:-- V 1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a cover provided with a plurality of openings; a plurality of toothed driven-wheels mounted under said cover and associated respectively with said openings, there being" spaced printed matter items on said toothed driven wheels adapted to register with the respective associated'openings upon rotation of said wheels; and a toothed driving wheel independently con-- nected to the respective driven wheels the num bers of the teeth in the driven wheels being prime to each other. 7 I

2. In a device of the character described, the combination o-fatop cover plate provided with a plurality of openings; a plurality of tootheddriw en wheels mounted under said, cover plate and as sociated respectively with said openings, pintles" carried by the cover plate and journalling the respective wheelsfor rotation, said wheelseach bearing spaced printed matter'items adapted to register with the respective associated openings upon rotation of said wheels a bottom cover plate mounted for rotation in a plane parallel to the plane of the top cover plate; and a toothed driving gear secured to and rotatable with said bot tom cover plate and having independerit' drivingv a plurality of openings; a pluralityof toothed driven wheels mounted under said cover plate and associated respectively with said openings, pintles carried by the cover plate and journalling the respective wheels for rotation, said wheels each bearing spaced printed matter items adapted to register with the respective associated openings upon rotation of said wheels; a bottom cover plate mounted for rotation in a plane parallel to the plane of the top cover plate; and a toothed driving gear secured to and rotatable with said bottom cover plate and having independent driving connection to each of said driven wheels, the numbers of teeth in said driven wheels being prime to each other.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of a top cover plate provided with a plurality of openings spaced substantially around the center of the plate; a plurality of flexible toothed driven gears under said cover plate and bearing spaced printed matter items; pintles carried by said cover plate and mounting said gears for rotation in association with the respective openings to display said printed matter items therethrough; a bottom cover plate connected to said top cover plate; a toothed driving gear between said top and bottom cover plates and journalled for rotation about an axis located substantially centrally with respect to said pintles, said driven gears each meshing with said driving gear and certain of the driven gears overlapping each other, the flexibility of said driven gears permitting them to overlap while the nonoverlapping portions lie close to said top cover late.

p 5. In a device of the character described, the combination of a top cover plate provided with a plurality of openings spaced substantially around the center of the plate; a plurality of flexible toothed driven gears under said cover plate and bearing spaced printed matter items; pintles carried by said cover plate and mounting said gears for rotation in association with the respective openings to display said printed matter items therethrough; a bottom cover plate journalled for rotation relative to said top cover plate and about an axis passing substantially centrally with respect to said pintles; a driving gear secured to said bottom cover plate and rotatable therewith and meshing independently with said driven gears; and a flange on the top of said driving gear extending partially over the top sides of said driven gears.

6. In a .device of the character described, the combination of a top cover plate provided with a plurality of openings spaced substantially around the center of the plate; a plurality of flexible toothed driven gears under said cover plate and bearing spaced printed matter items; pintles carried by said cover plate and mounting said gears for rotation in association with the respective openings to display said printed matter items therethrough; a bottom cover plate journalled for rotation relative to said top cover plate and about an axis passing substantially centrally with respect to said pintles; a driving gear secured to said bottom cover plate and rotatable therewith and meshing independently with said driven gears, the numbers of teeth in said driven gears being prime to each other; and a flange on the top of said driving gear extending partially over the top sides of said driven gears.

'7. In a device of the character described, the combination of a cover plate provided with a plurality of openings; a plurality of rotatable driven elements of different diameters disposed in mutually superposed relation in parallel planes under said cover plate and having spaced items of printed matter thereon adapted to register with the respective openings upon being rotated; bearing means mounting said driven elements for rotation with the individual axes of rotation all intersecting a straight line lying in a plane parallel to the planes containing said rotatable driven elements and with the pitch diameters of said elements lying substantially in one straight line normal tosaid cover plate; and a rotatable common driving means having independent driving connection with each of said driven elements.

8. A device as set forth in claim '7 in which the rotatable driven elements and the common driving means comprise toothed gears, the numbers of teeth in the driven gears being prime to each other.

9. In a menu selector, the combination of a cover provided with a plurality of food'class openings and with a Day opening; a plurality of rotatable food designating toothed Wheels associated respectively with the food class openings and each bearing a plurality of names of foods of a given class adapted to register with the associated food class opening upon the elements being rotated; a rotatable day designating element bearing the names of the days of the week adapted to register with said Day opening upon rotation of said day designating element; and common driving means for effecting rotation of said food class designating elements and being connected to said day designating element, the common driving means comprising a toothed wheel having independent driving connection with each of said food .designating toothed wheels, the numbers of the teeth in the food designating toothed wheels being prime to each other.

10. In a device of the character described, the combination of a cover provided with a plurality of combination openings and with an index opening; a plurality of rotatable toothed combination wheels associated respectively with the combination openings and each bearing a plurality of printed items adapted to register with the associated combination openings upon rotation of said wheels; a rotatable index wheel bearing indicia adapted to register with said index opening upon rotation of the index wheel; and common driving means having independent driving connection with said wheels, the numbers of the teeth in said combination wheels being prime to each other.

' WILLIAM PARKERSON. 

